A graffiti painting of a penis has been dropped from a Russian arts prize shortlist.

The phallus was daubed on a bridge in St Petersburg near the headquarters of the country's Federal Security Service by art group Voina (War) as a mark of protest against security measures taken in the city, Reuters reports.

The image was later washed off by firefighters, but titled A Penis in KGB captivity, it had been included in the prize for innovation shortlist from Russia's State Centre of Contemporary Arts.

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Organisers reportedly claimed on their website that they had removed the picture because they did not get formal approval from Voina to include it.

Group activist Alexei Plutser-Sarno responded: "The repressive act of removing the Voina group from the award brings shame on the (organisers) and the Ministry of Culture."